Timeframe
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Background
In September 2019, Ashton Gate Limited (AGL), the holding company for the Ashton Gate Stadium, home of the Bristol Bears rugby union team and Bristol City Football Club, approached Configured Things to assist it with developing proofs of concepts for smarter stadia.
Problem
AGL were interested in the use of technology such as the Internet of Things to advance public safety and fan experience during match days and other events, such as concerts.
Crowd safety and satisfaction is reliant on the great experience of individuals and accurate intelligence being relayed between key partners such as law enforcement and transport providers. If information is incomplete or incorrect, such as away fan arrival times and locations, or public transport delays, it can lead not only to a suboptimal configuration for the stadium but also a potential risk to public safety.
Similarly, in the event of a fire alarm at a stadium, the panic that spreads can be an even greater risk than the fire itself, and false alarms are a significant risk. Understanding the precise location of the marshals relative to the alarm is key to providing the appropriate response.
Solution
Configured Things created a proof of concept demonstrating the shared situational awareness required to deliver those outcomes, while still maintaining the required security and privacy boundaries for each party.
We used our WebWindows platform to create event driven displays in control rooms for both the Stadium and the Police, plus digital signage within the stadium. As events occur the control room and stadium signage are automatically updated as appropriate. Additional integration provided automated announcements via the stadium’s PA.
The solution avoided the need for centralised control or permanent trust relationships; Either party could decide what content and events they were willing to share.
We demonstrated how AGL could share a particular CCTV feed with the Police, resulting in an automated update to the AGL network and corresponding connection information being delivered to the Police control room. The Police network was then automatically updated when they connected this source to their video analytics system. The Police were able to then selectively share events back to be displayed within the AGL control room. At all times both parties maintained full control over what was being shared within a zero-trust framework.
The system also included simulated inputs from the stadium’s building management system which was integrated to its fire panel. Locations of the fire alarm sensors were mapped against a floor plan of the stadium. A marshal app was developed that utilised Bluetooth Low Energy beacons to provide indoor positioning for marshals and the control room. In the event of an alarm the control room’s display was automatically updated to show the location of the detected fire and current positions of the nearest marshals.
About Configured Things
Configured Things is a Bristol based startup formed in 2018, spun out of Hewlett Packard Labs. We create products and solutions that address the challenges of managing systems and data across trust boundaries.We are alumni of the NCSC for Startups program, and retain a close working relationship with the NCSC and other government agencies.
If you would like to hear further about this work or our solutions generally, please contact: getconfigured@configuredthings.com
